Laura opens and reads Rob's mail, she giving him a Reader's Digest version of it, and even throwing away what she considers unimportant. Rob is not angry that Laura opened his mail, but he is angry ...
Rob enjoys a scary televised sci-fi movie while Laura cowers in fear from it, but the next day details of that movie, where Earthlings are being taken over, appear to be coming true.
Widower Sheriff Andy and his son Opie live with Andy's Aunt Bee in Mayberry NC. With virtually no crimes to solve, most of Andy's time is spent philosophizing and calming down his cousin Deputy Barney.
Widower Steve Douglas raises three sons with the help of his father-in-law, and is later aided by the boys' great-uncle. An adopted son, a stepdaughter, wives, and another generation of sons join the loving family in later seasons.
Stars:
Fred MacMurray,
Stanley Livingston,
Don Grady
Rob, Buddy and Sally write for the Alan Brady TV show under the thumb of Brady's brother-in-law Mel. Rob and Laura live in new Rochelle next-door to Jerry and Millie. Written by
Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Morey Amsterdam wrote lyrics to Earle Hagen's famous musical theme, but they were never used. The lyrics are heard on bonus of The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)'s season 4 DVD's and blue-ray discs. See more »
Quotes
Maurice (Buddy) Sorrell:
[after Rob and Laura exchange a romantic goodnight, complete with kiss]
Good night, Sal.
Sally Rogers:
Goodnight, pal.
[they shake hands]
See more »
Crazy Credits
The most famous image of the opening credits is of Van Dyke falling over an ottoman as he enters his living room. However, a second version, showing him sidestepping the piece of furniture instead, was also used. The two openings were filmed back to back and were used randomly throughout the last four seasons of the series. The first season used a completely different opening credits sequence featuring still pictures. See more »
I have to say, even knowing enough about TV history to have respect for this show didn't prepare me AT ALL for how ridiculously funny it is. As a long time fan of "Mad About You," which is clearly a tribute, I can see the setup here, but it's amazing to see how one of the truly landmark television shows still stands up after all this time. I'm just finishing Season 2 on DVD, and I have to say kudos to whoever put these together.
As to the show itself, if you've never seen it, you're seriously missing out. Some of the best laughs I've ever had watching television have come from watching this show. In fact, watching this, I can see many early glimpses of popular sitcom characters from later years.
A real treat!
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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I have to say, even knowing enough about TV history to have respect for this show didn't prepare me AT ALL for how ridiculously funny it is. As a long time fan of "Mad About You," which is clearly a tribute, I can see the setup here, but it's amazing to see how one of the truly landmark television shows still stands up after all this time. I'm just finishing Season 2 on DVD, and I have to say kudos to whoever put these together.
As to the show itself, if you've never seen it, you're seriously missing out. Some of the best laughs I've ever had watching television have come from watching this show. In fact, watching this, I can see many early glimpses of popular sitcom characters from later years.
A real treat!